We arranged yesterday while still on the felucca to Elephantine to once again engage Moses Abdullah and his son. We wanted to hike up to the small domed tomb on the far ridge across the Nile, Qubbet al-Hawa, taking in some tombs below it on the way. Carrie and I had done this relatively short hike 12 years ago and I was keen to see what I could of the repeat trek that would remind me of that day. I actually don’t remember getting to the dome itself last time, but the tombs I certainly remembered and there are some photos below here of them. There is a Christian-era fresco painted over one area and I remember it being in much better condition in 2000. I recall there being a clear representation of a Doubting Thomas, for example, in the depiction of the apostles, but try as I might I could not discern him this time. I look forward to comparing images shot last time with those I did today.
As we made our way southwards along the tomb fronts, diminishing in size and interest as we went, I elected to take us on a bit of a goose chase and cross an open sand slope to a rocky area, then traverse back zig-zag fashion across the slope higher up, back towards the dome above the tombs. It was harder going than I thought and I immediately felt guilty for drag netting my family along that “path”. Owen bounded up ahead, with more energy than the rest of us combined, but poor Finn brought up the rear dragging her feet and in bad need of a BM. The sand was very soft and bright yellow. It engulfed the feet and sagged down-slope with each step. But we made it.
There was, indeed, a nice view of the city across the Nile and the blue buildings of a Nubian village off and down to our left, but hardly “stunning” as Lonely Planet declared. Note to self: Watch out for hyperbole in guidebooks. We have an early flight tomorrow morning back to Cairo, from whence we immediately take a minibus from the airport to Alexandria where we’ll spend three nights. I am especially looking forward to stopping at El Alamein cemetery (WWII) on the drive back to Cairo on the 9th. So close we are to the end of things! I am neither sad for joyful. It is what it is. Snow awaits us at home and the sudden getting used to Winter.
